Getting Stronger by Taking a Beating!

"I'd wanted to save some spiritual power. What a headache—what an idiot."

The Golden Armored Warrior carried the battered and bruised Alexei and held him up before Natasha.

"Natasha, I'm your father! Don't call me an idiot, and don't be so rough with me!"

After being viciously beaten by the two Golden Armored Warriors, Alexei somehow regained his senses.

At the same time, the serum, which should have lasted three minutes, wore off after just over one minute.

And after it ended, there were none of the expected side effects like organ aging or failure. His physical strength had even increased considerably!

It was as if that beating had helped disperse the serum's violent effects, bringing it down to a level his body could absorb.

"Fine, moron. Got it, moron."

Natasha answered with blatant perfunctoriness.

Then she had the Golden Armored Warrior toss him before Melina.

"It didn't cause the side effects you mentioned. Instead, he got lucky and became much stronger—about as strong as I am in my normal state."

"I'm not an idiot or a moron!" Alexei had no idea what had happened and could only cry out indignantly.

"Natasha, you've gotten stronger and learned bad habits over the past few years. Daddy's sweet little girl has turned into a heartless, drafty old quilt!"

"Shut up!" x2

Alexei's clowning made Natasha and Melina roar at the same time.

Mostly because his carefree attitude made them feel sick.

He was nearly fifty, yet he did not even understand what the place he was in had been researching.

Not only had Dreykov fooled him into becoming a thug, but he was also incredibly arrogant and inconsiderate of others.

After being shouted at by both of them, Alexei climbed up from the ground awkwardly. Then he felt his body and belatedly grew excited.

"My God, after getting beaten up by my own daughter, I actually became stronger?"

"Oh, Natasha, you really are my lucky star! If you beat me up once a day from now on, it won't be long before I can pin that damn Captain America to the ground and beat him!"

Alexei had always been bitter about being inferior to Captain America, to the point that he spread rumors to everyone that he had fought Captain America and won.

Natasha and Melina felt their temples throbbing. Having one idiot mixed in with two smart people was truly unbearable.

Ignoring Alexei by force, Melina frowned and asked,

"Could it be that the Berserker Serum needs powerful external force to intervene and balance it, allowing the body to absorb it at a level it can bear?"

This was a path she had never considered. Before, they had always worked on the serum itself or its raw materials, and every attempt had failed.

But now, it seemed they needed to use external force to forcibly intervene after the serum entered the body and took effect, promoting absorption.

"It's simply that the body can't withstand the power generated by the serum."

Having cultivated for nearly two years, Natasha was quite familiar with things similar to cultivation pills.

"As long as the body is strong enough to endure the serum's power washing through it, it can become like Alexei."

"Of course, his physical constitution is still far from enough, which is why he needs external help. But if this serum were diluted by several thousand or even tens of thousands of times, ordinary soldiers should be able to withstand it."

How could Melina not understand Natasha's analysis?

She herself was one of the researchers responsible for this project, so she naturally understood that the root cause was the body's inability to withstand it.

She could only shake her head bitterly. "It can't be diluted. Or rather, it can't be done with our technology. It contains an incredibly powerful energy magnetic field, and all of its molecular structures are firmly locked in place."

After hearing Melina's explanation, Natasha lost any desire to continue discussing it.

In any case, the changes here definitely had something to do with her teacher, Feng Xu.

Feng Xu was too powerful and miraculous to be explained by science, so no amount of discussion would lead to an answer.

Besides, this might truly be a treasure to others, but Natasha did not care about it at all.

Even if someone used it to create a group of super soldiers like Alexei a few years from now, they still would not be a threat to her.

"Forget it. You can figure this out yourself later. For now, let's deal with what's in front of us."

Natasha leaped onto the Golden Armored Warrior's shoulder and turned to Melina and Alexei.

"Same plan as before. You two go find Yelena. I'll settle things with Dreykov and destroy this damn place while I'm at it."

"Hey, Natasha, take me with you! I've wanted to beat up that bastard Dreykov for a long time!"

Upon hearing Natasha's words, Alexei began clamoring again.

He might have been foolish, but he was not beyond saving.

From the conversation between the two women, he had already figured out how Dreykov had treated him.

The two women still ignored Alexei, treating him like air.

"No problem." Melina nodded. "But you probably won't need to destroy the base. Based on what I know of Dreykov, he should already be planning an evacuation and activating the base's self-destruct sequence."

"Anyway, be careful. We'll wait for you east of the base once this is over."

"Don't wait for me." Natasha turned her head away without looking at them. "You two should take Yelena and live well from now on. If I get the chance, I'll come see you."

After this was over, Natasha would definitely return to Kamar-Taj.

Compared to the family who had once abandoned her, she would rather stay with her teacher and fellow disciples, who treated her well.

Thinking of this, Natasha began to miss Feng Xu a little.

Without waiting for Melina to say more, she had the Golden Armored Warrior smash through the wall and charge straight toward the center of the base.

Seeing this, Alexei unusually said something sensible to comfort Melina.

"Don't be sad. Children are like kites. Once they grow up, you have to let go."

Melina rolled her eyes at the sentimental-looking Alexei, turned, and walked to the right.

"What an idiot."

Inside the control room.

Dreykov stared at the screens turning to static one after another as the surveillance cameras were destroyed, his expression frighteningly grim.

Then he turned and ordered the messengers waiting beside him.

"You, prepare two helicopters for departure. You, notify Researcher Maxim and have him take his research team, pack up the data, and leave."

"Understood!" x2

The two messengers who received the orders jogged out.

Once they were gone, Dreykov's expression hardened. He reached out and opened the cover on his desk.

Beneath the cover was a raised scanner glowing blue.

Staring at the scanner, Dreykov extended the ring on his index finger toward it.

The instant the ring touched it, the raised scanner immediately retracted and opened, revealing a remote control hidden inside.

After snatching up the remote and gripping it in his hand, Dreykov finally turned and left.

After gathering several trusted guards from outside the door, Dreykov continued toward the highest-clearance area at the very center of the base.

That was where the source of the mutation in this area was located, and it was also a place no one except Dreykov could enter.

Dreykov planned to grab that item and flee immediately, while also blowing up the base and killing Natasha.

But while the idea was beautiful, reality was harsh.

The Golden Armored Warrior, smashing through walls as it charged forward, had already brought Natasha to the center of the base.

Dreykov could even faintly hear walls shattering and Natasha's furious roar.

Boom!

"Dreykov, today is the day you and the Red Room die!"